De Havilland Fox Moth

de Havilland Aircraft Company

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	March 20, 1920 (1920-03-20) in United Kingdom
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft including the DH.83 Fox Moth

Template:EngvarB Template:Infobox aircraft Template:Lowercase The DH.83 Fox Moth is a compact biplane passenger aircraft from the 1930s, equipped with a single de Havilland Gipsy Major I inverted inline engine, produced by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.

Conceived in late 1931, this aircraft was intended as an economical and lightweight passenger plane. It incorporated numerous parts identical to those of the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth, which was then in mass production; these included the engine, tailplane, fin, rudder, and wings. These components were mounted on a specially designed fuselage featuring plywood skin over ash longerons at the front section near the pilot’s position and Sitka spruce longerons towards the rear. The pilot’s elevated cockpit was situated behind a compact enclosed cabin that typically accommodated three passengers for short-distance flights. A "Speed Model" variant was outfitted with a canopy and aerodynamic fairings. Additionally, the wings were designed to fold for convenient storage.

Operational history

File:DH.83C Fox Moth G-AOJH N.West AS RWY 06.58 edited-2.jpg

Canadian-built DH.83C Fox Moth with canopy installed on pilot’s cockpit at Manchester (Ringway) Airport in 1955

The initial prototype took to the air for the first time on 29 January 1932 before being shipped to Canada, where it attracted enough interest to justify assembling seven units at the company’s Toronto facility. Production was evenly split between domestic British sales and exports, with 49 aircraft registered within the UK and an equal number delivered abroad. Within Britain, these aircraft primarily served short sightseeing flights or operated as feeder services across the British Isles. Notably, the DH.83 Fox Moth became the first commercial airliner to generate profits without relying on subsidies.Template:Fix/category

Fox Moth VH-UQM Miss Currie was acquired by Victor Holyman for £1,450 and commenced operations in October 1932 on the 108-mile route across Southeastern Bass Strait, connecting Launceston, Tasmania and Whitemark on Flinders Island. This aircraft marked the beginning of what would evolve into Australian National Airways. Meanwhile, QANTAS utilized Fox Moths to replace de Havilland DH.50 models within the Flying Doctor Service.

In total, 153 DH.83/DHC.83C Fox Moths were built: 98 in England, two in Australia, and 53 postwar units assembled in Canada. Various engines powered these aircraft; most British-built versions employed the 130 hp (97 kW) Gipsy IIIA engine, whereas Canadian postwar DHC-83Cs featured the more powerful 145 hp (108 kW) Gipsy Major 1C. The Canadian DHC-83Cs incorporated design modifications including enlarged pilot cockpit openings with bigger windscreens and canopies, a large ambulance door on the port side for stretcher access, and lacked folding wings. They also used landing gear components from the DH.82 Tiger Moth for both main and tail wheels. The DH.83C proved to be a highly effective and cost-efficient choice as a bush plane.

Variants

• DH.83 Fox Moth: A lightweight biplane designed for transport; 98 units were manufactured in the United Kingdom, with an additional two constructed each in Australia and Canada.
• DH.83C Fox Moth: Post-World War II production in Canada resulted in 53 aircraft of this model.
• Gasuden KR-1/Tokyo Gasu Denki: An unauthorized Japanese reproduction of the Fox Moth featuring a 150 hp (110 kW) Gasuden Jimpu 3, a seven-cylinder radial engine. The initial prototype, designated J-BBJI and named Chidorigo (meaning Plover), had its maiden flight on 23 December 1933. A total of seven KR-1 units were produced.
• Gasuden/Tokyo Gasu Denki KR-2: This version was a significant redesign of the KR-1, incorporating new straight (unswept) sesquiplane wings with rounded tips along with other alterations, resulting in the KR-2.
• I3H: The Brazilian Navy's designation assigned to the DH.83.

Operators

File:De Havilland DH-83 Fox Moth, Croydon Air Service AN1041908.jpg

ZK ADI operated by Air Travel (NZ) in 1934

Military

• Royal Australian Air Force

• Brazilian Air Force
• Brazilian Naval Aviation

Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

• Royal New Zealand Air Force
  • No. 42 Squadron RNZAF

South Africa

• South African Air Force

Spain

• Spanish Republican Air Force

• Spanish Air Force

• Fleet Air Arm

• Royal Yugoslav Air Force

Civilian

• Adastra Airlines
• Tasmanian Aerial Services

• Tata Airlines

Canada

• Wardair Canada

• Air Travel (NZ) Ltd, later operating as National Airways Corporation, utilized three aircraft.

• Blackpool and West Coast Air Services
• Giro Aviation
• Hillman's Airways
• Midland & Scottish Air Ferries
• North West Air Services
• Northern & Scottish Airways
• Olley Air Service
• Provincial Airways
• Scottish Motor Traction

• Aeroput

Surviving aircraft

File:Dh.foxmoth.750pix.jpg

de Havilland Fox Moth G-ACEJ currently based in Germany

• The DH.83 G-ACEJ was operational in the United Kingdom as recently as 2010, but has been registered in Munich, Germany since 2015, frequently participating in airshows and gatherings while retaining its UK civil registration. Notably, this aircraft was featured in the 1957 British Transport Films production Holiday, where it took off from Blackpool Beach during pleasure flights.
• DH.83C examples include:
  • ZK-ADI, active in New Zealand as of 2016
  • ZK-AGM, flying in New Zealand by 2019 following a UK-based rebuild
  • ZK-APT, operational in New Zealand during 2019
  • ZK-AQB, active in New Zealand throughout 2020
• DH.83 units such as:
  • VH-UJJ (formerly G-ACEB), flying in Australia in 2009
  • C-FYPM (previously ZK-AEK), active in Canada by 2018
  • VH-UVL, operational within Australia in 2018
• The aircraft C-FDIX is undergoing restoration to flying condition at Buffalo Airways by Buffalo Joe McBryan and the PLANE SAVERS! team located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, targeting a return to flight by spring 2020.
• The Fox Moth VH-UUS is being restored at MothCair under Greg Challinor’s supervision in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia.

Specifications (DH.83)

File:De Havilland DH.83 3-view NACA-AC-162.png

Three-view illustration of the De Havilland DH.83 from NACA-AC-162

Bibliography

• Hotson, Fred W. The de Havilland Canada Story. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-07-549483-3.
• Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972: Volume II. London: Putnam (Conway Maritime Press), 1988. ISBN 0-85177-813-5.
• Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam, (Third ed.)1987. ISBN 0-85177-802-X.
• Mikesh, Robert C. and Shorzoe Abe. Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-840-2.
• Milberry, Larry. Aviation In Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
• Molson, Ken M. and Harold A. Taylor. Canadian Aircraft Since 1909. Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.

External links

• The de Havilland Moth Club
• Those Kiwi Moths Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine